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The Continuing Religious Education of the Clergy within the Church of England with Specific Reference to the Diocese of London.
John Kevin Eastell
Thesis submitted for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in the University of London
Institute of Education
1992 2
Thesis Abstract The basic questions addressed by the thesis are concerned with the nature of the ordained ministry of the Church of England as it approaches the twenty first century and what educational provisions are required to prepare and sustain that ministry. Following an introduction, which outlines in detail the methodology of the thesis and the specific terms of reference for the study, the various strands which suggest the constants of ministerial being and function are traced from the New Testament evidence through Church History.
The exploration identifies the influences which shaped the ordained ministry and provided it with variable roles and identity within its changing historical context. The specific terms of its being and the functions of oversight, pastoralia and teaching were retained as traditional constants within ministerial formation. The New Testament evidence gives attention to the relationship between discipleship and the Rabbinical teaching tradition as the basis for Apostolic ministry. The emerging structure of ministerial forms is identified by comparing the earliest with the latest of the New Testament documents. The investigation into Church History isolates three periods which are considered to be germane to the study. The first is the rise of Christianity within the multi-racial, cultural and religious Roman world. The second period looks at the medieval Church in England and how it educationally managed its resources in terms of its personnel and parochial provision. Thirdly, the study looks at the Victorian Church as an example of how ministerial change was organised and as the Church which left the present Church of England its immediate legacy. The thesis then examines the current provision of theological preparation for the ordained ministry which is offered in the residential theological colleges and non-residential training courses. A critique of this provision is offered along with an analysis of the educational features which can be found within it. The investigation continues with an examination of post-ordination training and continuing ministerial education.
In the concluding chapter, a summary is provided about the main findings of the thesis and the principles of educational reform are identified. This leads to the construction of a new pattern of educational training for and within ministry based upon a continuum principle and one that is related closely to the changing parochial context. 3
LIST OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION:AN ORDERED MINISTRY 7
Time for a change 7 Problems for the ordained ministry 9 What are the findings of the Reports? 10 Methodology: Ministry in transition 16 Historical Perspective 17 Biblical Perspective 19 An integrated educational approach 21 The Diocese of London 22 Chapter 2. MINISTERIAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 26 The Rabbinical Tradition 26 Education and Discipleship 30 From Disciples to Apostles 35 Educational insights in Thessalonians 37 Educational evidence in the Pastoral Epistles 42 The Curriculum of the late first century 48 Chapter 3. MINISTERIAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE EARLY CHURCH 53 The Period from the first to the fourth century 53 Secular Education in Imperial Rome 53 The relationship between secular and Christian Education 56 Educational Provision in the early Church 57 Emergent concepts of official Ministry 61 Church Schools in the early Church 63 Evidence from Art and Architecture 66 Chapter 4. MINISTERIAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE MEDIEVAL AND VICTORIAN CHURCH 77 Outline for discussion 77 The Norman Conquest 78 The Rise of Monasticism 80 The shape of Professional Ministry 82 The Secular Clergy 84 The formation of Clerical Schools 87 The Franciscan Influence 89 Victorian Church: 91
External Influences 92 Financial Support 93 The rise of the Professional Class 95 The Industrial Revolution 97 Internal Reforms 98 The Emergence of Theological Colleges 99 The formation of Learned Societies 100 The Evangelical Movement 103 4 Table of contents cont The Oxford Movement 103 Pastoral Reorganisation 105 The Christian Socialist Movement 106 Functional Ministry: Role Ascriptions 106 Being in Ministry 107 Thesis definition: 110 Chapter 5. CONTEMPORARY TRAINING FOR THE ORDAINED MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND: THE RESIDENTIAL THEOLOGICAL COLLEGES 117 Theological Education and Training 154 Questions posed by present day programmes 155 Age differentials in clergy education 157 Variable standards within training 158 Introduction of variable qualifications 159 Pastoral/Ministerial Formation 162 Extended variables in student body 164 Spiritual Formation 165 Shared Praxis in Experiential Religious Education 168 Chapter 6. NON-RESIDENTIAL TRAINING FOR THE ORDAINED MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND 173 How the survey was conducted 175 The common features of non-residential training 177 The non-residential training courses 180 Variation in emphasis 205 Prognosis for the future 207 Chapter 7. POST-ORDINATION TRAINING 213 Post-ordination Training in the 19th Century 216 Post-ordination Training in the 20th Century 219 New posts of responsibility 220 Post-ordination Training since the 1960's 221 Modifications in method and structure 222 Disappearance of Training Parishes